THE EXPERIMENT (An Adlock Fanfiction)
by throughtheparadox
Summary: Sherlock had always been curious about the science of romantic love. As he decided to conduct his research, he discovered that he has been manifesting symptoms all along.
1. Chapter 1

Simple yet destructive. A dangerous disadvantage.

Sherlock paced in his flat, his hands rumpling his curls every once in a while, a look of exasperation stretched across his face.

Time was on his hands, no case worth taking. His head buzzed over the events of the past weeks: John and Mary sending him photos of their vacation, looking as happy as they can be; Lestrade trying to still make it work despite his wife's constant cheating; and Molly… Even dear Molly, was out on dates.

Love. What is so special about it? Why is all his friends fussing over such a trivial yet destructive matter?  
Of course Sherlock knew about love. He did his research for crying out loud! He has people he cared about, people he was absolute that he would die for—but romantic love? Idiotic.

And yet, at the thought, Irene Adler's face flashed his mind.

He was well aware that she was in London at present, his homeless network giving him reports every now and then. She's safe, which brought undeniable relief to Sherlock.

Sherlock took out his phone from his pocket, tossing it over and over, his mind playing on an idea. He scrolled down his phonebook, staring at her number. Her contact name appropriately labeled as 'The Woman'.

She had changed her number, of course. Quite a couple of times, actually, but Sherlock found out that Bill Wiggins was one hell of a hacker and the network provider's website isn't exactly the hardest puzzle in the bunch.

Desperation. Is this an attribute of romantic love?

Sherlock continued to pace, searching his mind palace for whatever information he has stored in terms of love and romance. His eyes opened wide, knowing exactly what to do.

"Just like any inquiry, an experiment must be done. Practical approach. Yes. Yes." he muttered. He immediately sent texts to John and Greg.

'JOHN, GASTON, WHAT ARE THE SIGNS SHOWING THAT A PERSON IS ROMANTICALLY IN LOVE? SH.'

His phone beeped. 'ARE YOU WATCHING THAT ADVICE SHOW AGAIN SHERLOCK? JW.'

Sherlock rolled his eyes, typing his response hurriedly. 'JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION. THIS IS FOR A CASE. SH.'

'WHAT CASE WOULD REQUIRE LOVE ADVICE? JW.'

'JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION, JOHN. SH'

'WHAT THE HELL IS THIS FOR, SHERLOCK? AND BY THE WAY, IT'S GREG! GL.'

Sherlock cussed as he reiterated that his query was for a case. John and Greg finally gave up asking and started giving him answers. As soon as it was over, Sherlock's head was spinning. Clearly… This experiment is giving him results even before it started. He sighed.

First part: Analysis. What are the factors at hand?

According to John and Lestrade, the first attribute is attraction—the extent by which a person is compelled to another. It may involve domination of one's thoughts, lack of certainty and compulsive action.

Sherlock shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. The first attribute fits the puzzle perfectly.

He slumped on his chair, wondering whether he should continue on with this research. The second part of the experiment is testing out the attributes given by John and Greg, which is tricky. These other attributes are, well, more action based.

"This is for an experiment. Nothing more, nothing less." he breathed, taking out his phone to make the most demented call he has ever made.

***  
Sherlock waited impatiently, his heart pounding whenever he hears a cab pass by. He heard footsteps closing in on the door and he fidgeted, trying to keep his cool despite the ringing in his ears. It was too late to stop the experiment at this point. He cursed himself for even considering the idea of testing out love.

"Mr. Holmes?" he heard someone call, his eyes darting towards the door, meeting Irene Adler's smug smile. He stood up, not quite sure why he did, but he walked towards the kitchen, keeping his distance as far away from her as possible.

"Please. Sit." he said, deadpan.

"Before I ask why you called me here tonight, I'd want to point out that what made me more curious is how you got my number. I remembered changing it before I came back to London." Irene announced, sitting on Sherlock's chair.

"I work my way around things, Ms. Adler. Surely, you know that." Sherlock simply replied.

Irene considered this for a moment and nodded. "Fine. So why am I here?"

Sherlock looked at her intensely, his expression unreadable. He walked over to her, his gaze piercing through every fiber of her being as he leaned down and met her face halfway, stunning Irene.

"I need your help with an experiment." Sherlock whispered, his arms on either side of Irene Adler, pinning The Woman's hands as he started his extensive research.


	2. Chapter 2

Sherlock's hands found Irene's, his heart pounding immensely.

'IF YOU SEE THEM, YOUR SENSES GET ALL TINGLY. WHEN YOU TOUCH THEM, YOUR HEART WOULD FEEL LIKE IT WOULD ESCAPE FROM YOUR CHEST. JW.'

Why does John have to be right? Sherlock gritted his teeth, springing away from Irene. Just like the first time she leaned into him asking him to 'dinner' a few years back, the same effects rose—only stronger this time.

"Sherlock Holmes! Am I your lab rat? Mind telling me what's going on?" Irene demanded, catching him by the arm.

He fidgeted at the sound of his name escaping her lips.

'HEARING THEM SAY YOUR NAME WILL BE BLOODY FANTASTIC. THIS AIN'T BOLLOCKS, I'M TELLING YOU! GL.'

He dismissed the texts echoing in his mind. Enough experimenting! This is mundane and pathetic and totally irrelevant! Would he really succumb to his boredom in this manner?

Sherlock lowered his eyes, not meeting Irene's steely gaze. "Ms. Adler… I… I apologise. I shouldn't have asked you to come here."

Irene scoffed, her hands crossed over her chest. "So you're asking me to leave? How gracious!"

They stood face-to-face for a moment, Irene's eyes demanding for an explanation. He deduced that she must've been working on something important and must've dropped it to meet him, judging by the annoyed expression on her face.

Sherlock used the opportunity to stare at her intently.

'PERFECT! THAT'S HOW YOU WILL SEE THEM. BLOODY PERFECT! JW.'

Irene had always been perfect for Sherlock. Her physicality, her wit, her personality and brilliance— he had known this from the moment they met. And with her standing there, head defiant, grey eyes piercing through him like a sharp knife, he felt the blood rise up to his face.

'AND THERE'S TENSION. YOU'LL FEEL COMPULSIVE. BUT THEN AGAIN, SHERLOCK, I DON'T THINK YOU'RE THE TYPE. GL.'

He smirked at the thought that Lestrade was absolutely wrong. With Irene standing close to him, his thoughts had grown sharp and blurry at the same time, his feelings overly paradoxical, the air thickening between them.

Sherlock felt the years of his time apart from Irene snap inside of him in that moment. He launched himself at Irene, his lips crushing hers, his hands skimming her arms fiercely.

To his surprise, Irene responded as hungrily as he was, her hands wrapped on his neck, fingers trailing his soft curls. Sherlock pulled her closer, eliminating the distance between them. Her lips was warm and soft to his own, their contact sending shivers down his spine. He moaned in her mouth, all the street noises and his flat drowned out by the beating of their hearts.

He pinned her to the wall, their lips never parting in the process, his hands cupping Irene's face, goosebumps forming in his arms at the confusing subtlety and intensity of the moment.

"Sherlock… Are you shooting the wall again? I heard thumpi—Oh!" he heard Mrs. Hudson say, barging in on them, her expression evidently surprised.

He jumped away from Irene, both of them looking flustered.

"I'm sorry… I didn't know…" Mrs. Hudson offered, smiling at them awkwardly.

Sherlock shook his head, annoyed.

"The next time you see the door closed, Mrs. Hudson, I believe that it's best to knock." he replied gravely.

Mrs. Hudson nodded, her eyes darting from Sherlock to Irene and back again.

"Now go." Sherlock muttered, leading Mrs. Hudson out the door.

"Nice meeting you, darling!" Mrs. Hudson managed to say to Irene before Sherlock closed the door after her. Irene smiled and waved awkwardly at the landlady.

After what felt like an eternity of silence, Irene looked up at him, straightening her clothes, a smirk spread across her face. "An experiment, you say?"

Sherlock huffed, unsure of what else to do. He shrugged and replied, walking back towards Irene. "Yes. And by the looks of it, you seemed to be a very willing participant. Do you want to continue?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Continue? Well, I must know what I'm getting into." Irene purred, stepping away from Sherlock and walking over to his chair. Irene sat gracefully, crossing her legs, her grey eyes studying the detective. She saw him sigh.

"I apologise for what I did… That… That thing that happened earlier." Sherlock breathed, standing in the middle of the room, flustered.

"Oh! I didn't mind it at all. I just want to know what is this about. This experiment of yours… I find it interesting." Irene replied, a smile playing on her lips.

Sherlock hesitated. He could still feel Irene's lips on his own, her scent lingering in the air, her smooth skin heating up his fingertips. He met her eyes, blue and grey both contemplating. He took out a spare chair and sat an angle away from her, clearing his throat as he explained. Once he was done, Irene laughed.

"Is something the matter, Ms. Adler?" he asked, surprised.

Irene shook her head, still laughing. "Oh dear! What happened to 'love is a dangerous disadvantage'?"

Unable to resist, Sherlock gave a soft laugh as well. "Mocking me now, Ms. Adler?"

Irene smiled, fanning her face with her hand. "Very much."

"Can you define or describe it for me as well? From a woman's point of view. Clearly for research purposes." Sherlock asked, regretting it as he did. This was not what he intended, the entire setup wasn't really planned. He wondered why he the question escaped his lips.

Irene raised her eyebrows at him, as if her was joking. "Well, you should know, Mr. Holmes. After all, it was how you beat me, remember?"

Sherlock's heart pounded faster and he could feel the heat rush to his face. What could she mean? Sentiment is one thing but love? Did she love him at the time? Does she still love him? The detective ran his fingers through his hair, exasperated. This research raised more questions than answers!

"Can you explain it? To me?" Sherlock asked almost breathlessly.

Irene rolled her eyes. "You asked me a question and I answered. Your deduction skills aren't going rusty now, are they?"

They were silent for a moment, both of them completely thrown off by how the conversation went.

"Well, if we're done, I'm leaving." Irene muttered, heading for the door.

'YOU WOULDN'T WANT THE DAY TO END WHEN YOU'RE WITH THEM BECAUSE THAT MEANS YOU WOULD HAVE TO PART. UNLESS OF COURSE YOU ALREADY LIVE TOGETHER. DID YOU GET ENOUGH, SHERLOCK? MARY WANTS TO HELP OUT TOO, YOU KNOW. YOU CAN TEXT HER. JW.'

Sherlock dismissed the memory of John's text in his head and nodded at Irene, not even looking at her. No. This experiment has to stop now, he told himself. It was too much, he was getting involved.

Irene sighed, looking back one last time before she turned to leave.

"Goodbye, Mr. Holmes."

As soon as she said it, Sherlock was filled with panic.

He didn't want her to go. Not yet. Why was he being so stubborn about all of this? Why can't he just admit that that there were so many things left unsaid between him and Irene Adler?

There was something in him that forced his feet to stand up and go after her. He hurried down the stairs and caught Irene's arm just as she was about to exit 221B.

"Not another goodbye, Ms. Adler." he whispered, taking her in his arms, his lips planting a delicate kiss on her forehead.


End file.
